Winning a stockcar teams race often requires one to deviate from a pre-race game plan ... just ask Meeanee Maulers driver Randal Tarrant.
"Yes they weren't on the game plan but the hits were there and they had to be done," Tarrant said as he reflected on the Maulers first Peter Barry Memorial Stockcar Teams title win at Hauraki Meeanee Speedway on Saturday night.
Tarrant, 20, the youngest member of the Maulers team had the Maulers runner's role for the third annual event raced in memory of Barry, a Central Hawke's Bay farmer and businessman who died from head injuries received when racing for the Kihi Kihi Kings Superstock team in Palmerston North in 2009.
Tarrant put three Gisborne Gladiators drivers, including kingpin Jason Jones, up the wall as the Maulers opened their campaign with a brutal 170-25 win. The victory also saw the Maulers retain the Clapperton Shield which is contested annually with the Gladiators.
A son of retired Mauler Beatle Tarrant, Tarrant secured the chequered flag when the Maulers beat the Has Beens Plus One team, a selection of former Palmerston North Pumas plus national champion Jayden Ward of Palmy, 120-75. Tarrant repeated that feat in the first-across-the-line final against the Wanganui Vulcans despite his team being a driver down after Bryce Cross ended his contribution to the final when putting Francis Potaka up the wall. "Once we were a car down I thought we were in trouble. But we hung in there and got the job done," Tarrant said afterwards.
"I'm stoked as ... it was just a mean night all round. Dad was quietly happy and whispered in my ear, 'Good job, boy'."
It was appropriate Tarrant should be the Maulers hero as of the six Maulers in action on Saturday night he has the most to do with the Barry family.
"Yes it was awesome members of the Barry family were there to share in the celebrations," Tarrant said.
New Mauler Jason Penn impressed on debut but was forced out of the final with rib injuries collected in the win against the Has Beens Plus One.
Veteran Marty Cooke drove Penn's car admirably in the final while other members of the Claire Bunce-managed Maulers, Jeff Hart and Brett Loveridge, made intelligent contributions at key times.
The East Coast and Hawke's Bay champion, Tarrant, will attempt to retain his Hawke's Bay title this weekend.
"I've got a little bit of a gearbox issue to fix and I'll be ready to go," he added.
The battle for third place in the third annual eight-team event saw the Has Beens Plus One beat the Wellington Young Guns.
The Maulers weren't the only Hawke's Bay stockcar drivers in celebration mode at the end of the meeting. James Tollison won $1000 when he took out the 14-car Twin City Cup event.
Tollison won two of his three heats and finished second to Palmerston North visitor Jamie Southee in the other.
German visitor Sandro Schneider was among the nine riders as solobikes debuted for the season at Meeanee. He had more spills and withdrawals than completed races.
Aucklander Brady Mudgway won his three division-one heats but spilled out of the top-six final which was won by Gisborne's Jason McKay. Auckland-based former Hawke's Bay-contracted rider Bradley Wilson-Dean was second and his father and veteran of 31 years racing, Darrin Wilson, was third.
Hawke's Bay's Ronan Warner celebrated his selection in a New Zealand Ministock team to take on their Aussie counterparts with a victory in his 26-strong class. His Bay clubmate David Hill won the other heat.
Bay drivers Adrian Kramer and Justin Power won the two kiwilite heats.